Purpose: To develop electronic systems for oncofertility support, and to examine the comprehensibility, feasibility, usability, and effects on social support and preparation for decision-making.
Methods: The study steps were guided, tested, and utilized to (a) identify the requirements of a patient, (b) guide the development of support interventions, and (c) evaluate the quality of web-based oncofertility support. Alpha testing and beta testing were used to ensure the quality of the web-based oncofertility support tool. The effectiveness was evaluated using the Preparation for Decision-Making Scale and Social Support Questionnaire.
Results: At the alpha testing phase, the mean (± standard deviation) values of the comprehensibility and usability for reproductive-age women with breast cancer were 4.24 (± 0.47) and 4.42 (± 0.57); and the mean values of the acceptability and usability for healthcare providers were 4.04 (± 0.67) and 3.99 (± 0.66), respectively. At the beta testing phase, the mean values of the feasibility for patients and healthcare providers were 3.93 (± 0.67) and 4.17 (± 0.78), respectively. The corresponding mean Preparation for Decision-Making Scale scores were 3.78 ± 0.82 and 4.11 ± 0.93, respectively. The results of the Wilcoxon signed-rank test revealed that the informational and instrumental support scores improved significantly compared with the pre-test data (informational support: 8.94 ± 3.28 vs. 10.06 ± 1.91, p < 0.01; instrumental support: 7.44 ± 2.90 vs. 8.75 ± 2.57, p < 0.01).
Conclusions: The oncofertility support website demonstrated acceptable comprehensibility, feasibility, and usability, in addition to informational and instrumental support.
Trial registration: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT05100498, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05100498.
Keywords: Breast cancer; Fertility preservation; Oncofertility; Social support; Website.
© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.